Game apparatus



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

J. E. IRVINE.

GAME APPARATUS.

No. 569,102. Patented 001:. 6, 1896.

Fig.2.

: r1 B :3 fi

L L -e Le -re J.

la.v

WITNESSES INVENTOR flfizzo'w/ QZ 4m m: NORms PETERS cu, mam-u-momsmucn'ouja c4 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. E. IRVINE. GAMEAPPARATUS.

' No. 569,102. Patented 061;. 6, 1896.

WITNESSES: I

Y INVENTOR a. memo. WASHINGTON u. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. IRVINE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

GAM E APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,102, dated October6, 1896.

Application filed un 25, 1895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. IRVINE, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of NewYork, have invented and produced a new and original Game Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompan ying drawings.

My invention relates to an improvement in games, its object being toproduce a simple and cheap game apparatus, one which will be easy tounderstand, and which shall afford a large amount of amusement andinstruction both to players and spectators.

With this object in view the invention consists of certain novelfeatures of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, ashereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the drawings.

My invention consists of three main parts two movable boxes, perfectlysimilar, and the board on which the game is played.

The operation of the boxes and their use on the game-board areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is anelevation view of the side of the above-mentioned boxes, the dottedlines showing the movement of the interior pieces. Fig. 2 is a rearelevation of the invention. Fig. 3 is a perspective view, on smallscale,

showing the game and the two boxes as they would appear when in use.

Similar letters refer to similar parts thro ughout the several views.

My device in its simplest form consists of a box to be made of sheet-tinor other material. It is composed of two main parts A and B, the part Bhaving an upper position, as shown by the solid lines, and a lowerposition, as indicated by the dotted lines on Figs. 1 and 2.

In Fig. 2 when part B is at the upper position the parts 0 c and (Z 01would be visible, butnot visible when E is at the lower position.

A, the outer piece, consists of two similar sides and a sloping topresting on four points m 00 a: :0. The front, back, and bottom are open.A bracing-strip h is placed as shown, a small opening it on one side ofA only, a spring-strip g, controlled through the opening 7s, a rod oraxle 0, extending through an opening in both sides of A, with a head oneach Serial No- 554,035. (No modeh) end to ,prevent the rod frombecoming detached from A, a spiral wire spring f, fastened at point m,encircling axle 0 several times, and so placed that it exerts an upwardpressure on the part B.

B consists of a shallow metal pan with a bottom, two sides, and a backpiece, the front being open. To the bottom are secured two loops cld,encircling axle c and securing B to axle 0. Two wooden cleats e 6 liefiat on the bottom of interior pan B, fastened each by a single screwfrom the exterior of the bottom of B. (Screws in cleats shown in Figs. 65 1 and 2; cleats shown in Fig. 3.) Each cleat is movable from side toside on the screw as a pivot, and may be placed in any desired position,as shown in Fig. 3.

The part B being secured on axle c by loops d d into part A, and havingbeen pressed downward by operator at point 0, which re fers to theentire upper edge of the back piece of B, is held in the lower position,Fig.

1, by spring 9, which projects over the side of pan B. The end of part Bis then at a lower point than axle c, to which B is secured, as inFig. 1. The object in having the rear end of B so low is to provide areceptacle that will hold small spheroids or marbles, whose function isexplained later in the description of the game, in the rear end of thepan when in the lower position.

The direction of the marbles may be controlled by the operator by theuse of the wooden cleats e e, which he may turn at any desired angle,the sloping top of A covering his operations, so that they are unseen byhis opponent. The spring or catch it is pulled outward by the operator.This releases B, when the upward action of the spiral spring f throws Bquickly to the top of A, ejecting the marbles or spheroids at point 9forward upon the board in various groups and in several directions,according to the angle at which the cleats e 6 were placed, as in Fig.3.

Fig. 3 shows the boxes on the game-board. The board itself consists of afoot-ball field in miniature of varying dimensions. (Shown on thedrawings.) The board or foot-ballfield is divided into twenty-four equalspaces and two larger ones, one at each end, by twentyfive lines. Eachspace is supposed to repre sent five yards distance. The center orthirthe eleven men or marbles of one color.

-field consist of twenty-two marbles or small spheroids, representingtwentytwo men. Eleven marbles are one color and eleven another. Thefoot-ball is distinguished from the marbles by its material and shape,being made of wood or other substance in the same general shape of afoot-ball-an oblate spheroid. The game is to be played by two persons.Each player places himself at an end of the board. He has one of theboxes and The foot-ball is then placed on the center of the field on thecenter line. The privilege of first play is determined by the operatorsby any method acceptable to them. Having settled this point, the firstplayer (the football being in the center of the field, and his box withits two front feet placed not nearer than ten yards to the foot-ball)allows a marble to roll down the outer incline of his box, so that itwill strike the foot-ball, if possible. If the marble fails to strikethe ball, it is repeated. As soon as this marble strikes the foot-ballboth boxes are simultaneously tipped, so as to precipitate the othertwenty-three men on the field, the men having been arranged by the useof the cleats under cover of the sloping tops of the boxes into variousgroups, according to the judgment of the two players. \Vhen thefoot-ball stops rolling, it is called a down. The side who has a man(ascertained by the color of the marbles) nearest to the foot-ball onthe down is supposed to have possession of the foot-ball for the nextplay. The men are then rearranged in boxes according to the judgment ofthe players and the boxes are lined up for the next play.

The

player whose side holds the ball must play with the front feet of hisbox on the line where the foot-ball was down or stopped. The opposingplayer may place his box in any position on his side of the field atdiscretion. After the opening play each side as it holds the ball playsaccording to the rules of the regular American college game offoot-ball, scoring touchdowns, goals, and all points that maybe securedin the regular game.

I claim that in my invention the game of foot-ball can be scientificallyplayed.

Having described my invention and its method of operation, what I claimas new, and desire to secure Letters Patent, is-

1. In a game apparatus, two similar boxes of tin or other material withsloping top and two sides connected by a bracing-strip and resting onfour feet; a rod or axle, on which swings a tilting compartment or pan,with three raised edges; said rod encircled by a spiral wire spring; twoor more movable wooden cleats pivoted flat on the bottom of the interiorof tilting pan; a fiat metal spring catch for holding tilting compartment; whereby small balls ormarbles may be discharged from tiltingcompartment substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination in a game apparatus of two similar boxes with slopingtop, an inner tilting compartment or pan on the bottom of which arepivoted fiat two or more movable wooden cleats, adjustable to variousangles, for guiding or controlling the direction of small balls ormarbles to be discharged from both tilting pans simultaneously inopposite forward directions, on a board containing a diagram of afoot-ball field in miniature, substantially as and for the purpose setforth. JOHN E. IRVINE. [L. s.] itnesses: I

WILLIAM J DE GROAT, WILBUR F. TREDWELL.

